Virtual Lightning

Elfie "Spriggan" Springham

Description:

Bio:

Appearance

Elfie stands at roughly 5’3” and is of a lean, wiry build. A pretty, androgynous face is marked by the almost fairy-like features from which Elfie’s name supposedly comes, and is framed by loose tufts of short hair dyed in a brunette-to-red gradient. Purportedly, Elfie’s hair is much longer than it actually appears, but as it’s almost always covered by some manner of hat, the myth has yet to be proven. Elfie’s only normal adornments are a pair of metal studs in the earlobes, and an industrial bar piercing at the top of the right ear. Elfie’s clothing style consists of anything from the loose to the form fitting; layers of long coats, hooded jackets, shredded leggings and jeans, boots, high-tops, goggles, and hats and scarves. For whatever reason, Elfie has a thing for hats and scarves.

As a member of the band Iscandar!, Elfie was given the stage-name of “Euphemia Reicher” by her friend and fellow band-mate, Touma Keigo. She’s taken to using it as a secondary alias, and so is occasionally referred to as “Euphemia”, “Effie”, and “Euphy”.

Iscandar!

Iscandar! is a visual kei band based out of the Seattle Metroplex, whose music focuses on covering 80s rock and the “classic” scores of animation and videogames from the 1980s and 1990s. The band’s notoriety has really only spread between the local venues it frequents, but it does sport a small following of loyal fans and interest from a niche demographic.

Naming and Concept

The name Iscandar! is a reference to Space Battleship Yamato, a 1970s Japanese space-opera that saw localization on western shores as Star Blazers, and subsequently assisted in the growing popularity of anime outside of Japan. In the series’ continuity, the fabled planet of Iscandar acts as a beacon of hope for what humans remain on a dying earth, and an expeditionary force is sent forth on the titular Yamato in an effort to reach it.

Iscandar!’s guitarist, Elfie Springham, suggested and pulled for the name as a private joke, having compared the current Earth to the Earth the Yamato left behind. In this case, Iscandar is idealism itself instead of a planet; representative of a better world outside of the bleak, dystopian existence that humanity finds itself living in.

The band itself is an out-of-game homage to the fictional rock band Fire Bomber, featured in the anime Macross 7. Macross, like Yamato, is another of the original animated space-operas that boosted the popularity of anime in the west through its localization. Fire Bomber’s popular song, “Totsugeki (Charge!) Love Heart!” is frequently performed by Iscandar!.